Arctic Blue
by Staralfur
Summary: The confusion of a young woman. The necessity of two decisions. The impending sorrow that will follow. Finished
1. You'll Never Know, I'm Afraid To Tell

I didn't understand what was happening then at all. They had told me very little, leaving me in the dark. All I heard was something about an attempt to slay the one who had forced them to succumb. But they never told me the details, like how, exactly, they planned on doing this. Though, they did give me an order that shed just a little light on this choice they made.  
  
I was sent to Earth with two books. One was actual history and the other... well, it was a drawing book. While I was in the Kingdom I was made to draw sketches of their new demonic allies. The "Summoned Ones" as they were called, very original, I know. But these demons, though the name they were given was quite humorous, were most certainly nothing to be taken lightly. From the deepest and the most feared circles of Hell, they were the elite of all the clans. The greatest, the most terrifying, and the most dangerous. Almost immediately after being told what they could do and what they would do, I feared for the safety that I "once had." But, after realizing whose side I was on, they no longer struck such a low chord.  
  
Each one of them was completely different in shape, size, talent, and speed. No two were even close to being like any other demons I'd seen. One of the many clans they summoned looked like winged knights. Seriously. Their wings were white and soft, unbelievably so. Wearing suits of armor and boasting swords encrusted with jewels and shields decorated with demonic runes, these "demons" were extraordinary fighters. I'd never seen finer. Called "Sirgands," they were, quite possibly, the greatest threat to the human race. Even the greatest Hunter had no hope if he went up against one of these demons. And the worst part was that they only fought on their own when all of the other members of their station were defeated. So, even if a Hunter managed to destroy one of them, he'd never be able to defeat any others... or so I thought. But that will come later.  
  
The second clan hosted demons called "Hyroths" and these were the nearest to human that I had ever seen. In fact, they looked so much like humans that when I first saw them I had to ask my instructor if they were prisoners. But he laughed and called me a fool. Because they were nothing like those Earth-bound creatures. These bore human skin, human features, and human bodies but their speed far surpassed even the greatest of runners. And that's where their strength lies. For that speed, their physical strength was decreased but they suffer no disadvantage. Before any Hunter could swing his sword or fire his gun, these demons could run rings around him and kill him so quickly, silently, and painlessly that he doesn't even know he's dead. So, they are the Dark Lords' spies and thieves. Extremely successful spies and thieves.  
  
Now, the last group of these new, summoned demons was the one that intrigued me the most. These were the shape shifters. Named Johvials, once they have had seen something, no matter what it is, they can take its form. Whether it be anything from a wolf to a rain drop they can become it. They are quick, not so much as the Hyroths, though, and they are strong, but not so much as the Sirgands. They are the perfect combination of power, speed, and camouflage. I have watched this clan in their demonstration of power and, even though they're not the ones who present the greatest threat, these are the ones that I, personally, fear. Coming out of thin or thick air, they can drop silently and assassinate anyone in what seems to be mere seconds. A few of my "friends" and I have deemed it appropriate to give the members of this clan the nickname "Blind Striker" for their tendency to strike without notice.  
  
After seeing a few of the new demons, certainly only a fraction of all of them, I had come to find that it was necessary to watch my back at all times, though my ranking was not what would be considered "low." Before this war we had started, I had every reason to walk the halls with my head held high, face full of pride but now I hang it in my defeat. I had succumbed to their greatness and level of expertise. But I wanted it back.  
  
So I left my chambers and went to my instructor's hoping for a job to be open, something that I could use to redeem myself. And, luckily, he had just the sort of job that I'd been looking for. All it required was to go to Earth and get the current Hunters to ally themselves with me so I could lure them into a trap, giving us the guaranteed win. But, unbeknownst to me, the Fates had another job that they insisted I was destined for.  
  
My instructor opened a portal, gave me my books, and set me off on my journey. Hopes were high in my heart because this was one thing I believed I could not mess up in any way. With directions and props in my hands I set off into the city were one of the Hunters supposedly lived.  
  
Since the only cities I had seen were the ones in the Underworld, I had no idea what they looked like on Earth so I was mesmerized. The air was much cleaner than in the Underworld, grass was actually green, the sky was blue, and the smell of fear didn't hang in the air like a thick fog. For a minute I nearly stayed there but I quickly remembered why, exactly, I'd been sent there.  
  
It didn't take me long to find him, though, thanks to some very friendly people who surely had something wrong with them. They pointed me to my destination with a smile and a wave, which I didn't understand at all. I came upon a large, run-down building and assured myself that it was definitely the place. Confident, I walked up and rapped on the door. From inside I heard footsteps then the sound of the doorknob turning. A man, so handsome I actually considered living on Earth just so I could see him, opened the door.  
  
He looked at me, from head to toe. I assume he was trying to gather a make-shift profile from my physical appearance. And because of the small, loose grey-blue t-shirt and black leather pants I wore, I take it he liked the profile he gave me. He smiled approvingly.  
  
"Come in." He said, motioning for me to do so.  
  
"Thank you." The man looked out of the corner of his eye at me while he closed the door.  
  
"So... what're you here for?" Sitting down on his over-sized leather chair, he looked at me grimly. But then he motioned, again, for me to do likewise.  
  
It took me a second to gather my thoughts and words after I sat down, trying desperately to chose the appropriate path to walk down. "First of all, I take it you're Dante."  
  
"Yeah, well, that's me." He shook white locks out of his eyes.  
  
"And I have been led to believe that you, as of late, have been looking for some leads. Anything, actually, that will get you a good fight."  
  
He yawned "Your point...?"  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked sincerely. Dante looked at me as if he was the one who didn't understand. My naivete truly had him stumped.  
  
"Hey, babe, everyone knows I'm looking for a job. But those goddamn demons aren't doing anything. Makes a Hunter wonder." As he hit me hard with a suspicious glare I was sure I had found the right man, though, I didn't have any idea as to how to get him on my side.  
  
"Well, I think I might have something for you, then." I sat the sketchbook down on the desk in front of him and inched it forward. Dante glanced at me again before he dared pick it up. I had laid my trap down but knew it might be some time before he sprang it, thankfully my instructor was in no rush as long as I got this damn job done right.  
  
"Demons?" He asked as he flipped through the pages.  
  
"Yes. New ones, well, not technically new. They are the 'Summoned Ones.'"  
  
"Summoned from where?"  
  
"The last circles of Hell."  
  
Dante raised an eyebrow, pleased with the new business he knew he would soon be getting because of this. "Any serious ass-kickers? Anything I should be worried about?" He added that last part with a laugh.  
  
"Of course." Cutting short his laugh, Dante resumed his penetrating glare.  
  
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It is supposed to mean that these demons present a threat to you and this entire world. A threat I don't think you should be taking as lightly as you are."  
  
"Fine, then. Obviously you know something about these demons, so enlighten me."  
  
I sat there for nearly an hour explaining the weapons and powers these creatures had in more detail than I think my boss would have liked. I believe I gave Dante the advantage. Occasionally, I was at his side pointing out things in my drawings that were crucial to him. He didn't seem to mind much.  
  
"If it's at all possible I'd like to stop by again tomorrow. I have more information that I think you'd like to know." I said, after I'd finished showing and telling him everything about these demons. I neared the door but he stopped me.  
  
Dante tossed a card that resembled one for business at me. "You know the hours." He said, gesturing to the card.  
  
I nodded and left. But, on my way out, I thought I felt his eyes watching me, looking at the back of my body as I walked away from him. More judgement, I presumed but I had to quickly dismiss that.  
  
My feet, thankfully, knew where they were going so I didn't get as lost as I had anticipated. They took me to the only home I knew, the Underworld. 


	2. Blood Red Wave Beside The Snow White Clo...

It was late that night, but one couldn't tell in the Underworld, when I returned. My instructor was waiting impatiently, apparently aggravated by how long it had taken me. So he immediately inquired about my journey.  
  
"Did you get him?"  
  
I rolled my eyes but didn't allow him to see. "It takes more than three hours to gain the trust of a man like that. He's suspicious, I can tell you that."  
  
"Spectacular, just spectacular."  
  
"I thought you weren't in a hurry?" I asked knowing I'd never get an answer from him because he knew I was right.  
  
"Just go on." He said impatiently. "New problems have arisen."  
  
"If you want this done you will have patience and allow me to do this at his pace, rather than our Lords.' If he doesn't trust me he'll never go along with it. And we need him to do just that so I need him to trust me. Plus, an alliance like that wouldn't be bad to have." I added the last part under my breath. Never did I want my instructor to hear something like that from me.  
  
"Alright, besides, we're not exactly in a hurry. Go at his pace and we'll see how quickly he takes to you."  
  
"Thank you, sir. I will not fail."  
  
I reluctantly walked to my quarters and, I think, my instructor noticed that, unfortunately. All I wanted, at that precise moment, was to return to Earth. Apparently my teachers had been right. Once you taste the sweet smell of the Earth and feel the warm sun beating down on your shoulders, there is nothing more you want. I agree with that, now, except for the last part because there was one more thing I wanted.  
  
I changed and fell back onto my bed. My uncomfortable bed. Trying to sleep, I found that all of my thoughts led me back to Dante and our encounter earlier that day. Never in my entire life had I met someone like him. Beings in the Underworld were cocky but their reasons for being so were not nearly as good as his. Beings in the Underworld were smart but his intelligence was well used. And, the most obvious thing that set them apart, beings in the Underworld never could be as attractive as Dante. It was something that frightened me, this new emotion. I had never felt it before because no one where I lived could ever make me feel it. But then, after I'd gone to set Dante in a trap, I felt it. And I also felt as though my will was breaking and I could not do this. I was truly afraid of what was going to happen to me and him.  
  
Lying on my bed, I still could not shake those thoughts of him. The thoughts that kept me awake all night imagining different scenarios of our next meeting. So, many hours later I fell asleep just to find that I soon was awakened.  
  
As my instructor stood in the doorway, I cursed him in my mind for disrupting my new, pleasant dream images. "You'd best be waking up." He called, causing me to lift my head up to look at him.  
  
"Yes, sir." I called back angrily.  
  
"The portal is open, just outside of your door. Hurry up."  
  
I narrowed my eyes as I let my head fall back on my pillow. Reading an old clock by my bed, I realized how right he was, though I hated to admit it. I jumped out of bed and walked over to the bathroom connected to my quarters, before I remembered my clothing. I had never done that before but quickly understood why, as my mind was already busy, wondering what Dante was doing at that moment when I showed my stupidity. Soon after entering the shower I exited and dressed hurriedly, wanting to return to the beautiful Earth. And I did just that. But before I entered the portal, I surveyed my surroundings. The walls of the hallway I was in were dark and dank, filling me with despair. The foul stench that hung in the air was enough to make me gag, though I had lived there for all of my life. Happily entering the portal, I found myself, once again, on the springy grass of Earth. Smiling, I ran to Devil Never Cry, wanting to see him again.  
  
I knocked on the door again. "It's open." Dante called out.  
  
I carefully opened the door and walked in, waiting for him to say something. Thankfully, he recognized me. "You just gonna stand there or are you comin' in?" Spoke Dante, giving me a look of half pity and half humor.  
  
In response, I closed the door and walked slowly over to his desk. "You can sit down, you know." Apparently, he'd noticed my discomfort and thought it was full of hilarity. I, on the other hand, didn't quite look at it that way. So, I took up his offer, trying to relieve myself of any fear I had.  
  
"So... that information you mentioned yesterday, what might it be?" He leaned back in the chair.  
  
I was caught completely off guard. Never did I think that he'd remember someone as unimportant or as unmemorable as me, let alone my promise of information but he did. I had been telling (barely, for every time I looked at him my mind went blank and I couldn't find the words I had so carefully planned) him everything I knew about these demons, weaknesses, strengths, special powers, everything, until the phone rang and interrupted my words.  
  
"Excuse me for a second." Said Dante, shocking me yet again, with manners I thought Hunters didn't have. After listening in to his conversation which I barely understood, I realized that it was a hunt. I waited eagerly until he hung up.  
  
"Listen, honey, this is big." Before he could finish I unintentionally cut him off.  
  
"What kind is it?" I asked, impatiently.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I know what that call was. So what kind of demon is it?"  
  
He, evidently, liked that because he smiled openly at me. "Well, from what that man said, it was one of those that you showed me yesterday, in your book."  
  
"Shit." I softly said. I know that it was my job to get him in the clutches of those demons but I just couldn't. I couldn't watch those foul creatures take this fair man.  
  
"I've got to take care of this asshole before he destroys the city and everyone in it." Dante said as he pulled on his coat over his black shirt. "And I can't just leave you here. So you've got a few choices. I leave that up to you." He pulled the door open, letting me out before him, and locked it behind us. He walked over to his motorcycle.  
  
I was extremely disturbed that he was going through with this despite the warnings I had told him so I stepped in. "I'm coming with you."  
  
Dante just turned back and looked at me like he didn't approve. "Can you handle yourself?" He asked as he got on.  
  
"Very well." Was my confident reply.  
  
"Get on." I walked up and sat behind him. "Hold on because I'm in a hurry."  
  
He started the motorcycle. I wrapped my arms around his waist, receiving a strange look from him, but I knew he didn't mind because he stopped breathing for a second and I saw his lips curve into a smile. Dante put his foot on the pavement and turned around, speeding off. He stopped suddenly before a huge lot of trees. "Is this it?" I asked, anxiously.  
  
"Supposed to be." He let go of the bike and leaned back a little. I let go. Dante shook his head, for what reason I know not. At a tiny sound, Dante snapped his head around. "It's there."  
  
I got off, allowing him to do so, as well. He grabbed his sword from the side of his motorcycle and walked over to the noise, ready for an attack. A young girl walked out of the group of the trees, looking at him. Disappointed, Dante stuck the point of his sword in the ground and leaned on it, turning to face me with eyes that were more upset than I'd seen them. I walked up to him, after I'd noticed Ebony and Ivory strapped to his thighs. To his complete shock and dismay, I grabbed the guns and fired at the girl, before she could change back. I thanked ancient deities for one of the bullets I had fired lodged itself in her head, killing her instantly.  
  
"What the hell?" He shot, directed towards me.  
  
Rolling my eyes, I pointed to the girl. "Look."  
  
Dante did so, trusting that I had a reason for killing a seemingly innocent girl. But, at that moment, her body changed into that of a Johvial. He watched interestedly as its natural, body armor began to cover its dark skin. The girl's short, dark hair switched to long, light "hair" or something like hair, I wasn't quite sure. Shot, child limbs gained new length and small shoulders were broadened as the transformation finished.  
  
"Well," Dante said. "That thing's attractive. What kind was it...?"  
  
"A Johvial." I replied as I walked back over and handed him back his guns, Ebony and Ivory.  
  
"Which ones are they?"  
  
"The ones that will kill you the most quickly and mercilessly."  
  
Dante gave me another one of his half pity looks. "Think happy thoughts, babe. Happy thoughts..." He added with a smile which led me to believe that he was, in no way, serious.  
  
"Happy thoughts aren't going to keep any of us alive."  
  
"'Any of us?'" He asked, returning to the motorcycle.  
  
"Hunters. God, you've been doing this for how long? And apparently, you don't even realize that you're not the only one doing this."  
  
"Hey! You don't have to be jumpin' down my throat. I just didn't know that you were one of us. You know, most of the time, we Hunters don't go around pickin' up information, we just kill them."  
  
"Maybe you should start that, then. Because if you did, you'd know that they're assassins. Shifters that can change their form into anything. I believe I told you that yesterday."  
  
He nodded. "You did. And didn't you say something about-" Before he could finish another Johvial changed its form from a blade of grass to its true self. The demon tackled him to the ground. Sensing that there was nothing I could do except wait to see if Dante would recover, I looked around for any unusual movement. Unfortunately, I found some. A third Johvial appeared, coming down from amongst the branches of a tree. Closing my eyes for a moment, I recalled the demonstration where my instructor told me of a very easy way to kill the beasts.  
  
Well the easiest way, of course, is to kill them in a form that is not their own because that happens to leave them in a sort of weakened state. One that allows for an easy kill. But, if their armor was in place and their form was the one they're born with, my instructor said there was only one more simple and quick way to defeat them.  
  
I looked back at Dante, to see him parrying plenty of attacks. But he'd constantly look around as the demon was changing forms with almost no break is his own.  
  
"God dammit!" He yelled out in frustration. "Would you fuckers just play fair?"  
  
As if it were a response, the Johvial he was "fighting" cackled and kicked Dante's spine. Smiling, the Hunter drew his gun and rolled over onto his back, firing at the demon. He dropped the gun, pulled his legs up to his chest, and pushed off of the ground with his hands, landing easily and kicking the demon's head. Alastor quickly came down to decapitate the creature. Putting the tip of the sword on the blood-stained ground, Dante cracked his neck, pleased with himself.  
  
Immediately after I turned back around, I caught a punch to my stomach. I toppled backward, being careful not to lose my footing, and barely had time to think as the next attack followed extremely quickly. I thanked those ancient deities again for my training in the Underworld. The training that gave me a bit of an advantage in a fight with a Johvial.  
  
Dante was watching me, obviously not helping unless things became serious, and trying to figure out if I'd be a worthy ally. Lost in that thought, the damn Johvial kicked me down to the ground. I had just enough time to roll backward, keeping myself from further harm.  
  
"Dante!" I yelled, looking back at him, as the Johvial was very temporarily stunned. "Gun."  
  
He tossed Ivory to me, ironically, and, taking aim in a short amount of time, I shot at a horn protruding from the demon's head. It cracked in two and the foul creature fell over. Dead.  
  
Looking at my work, Dante walked over, getting his gun back. "Nice... but is that the last of them?'  
  
"Should be." I whispered, more to myself than him.  
  
His suspicious eyes glanced at me from under his white bangs. "Good to know you've got this information."  
  
I knew exactly what it meant. He was becoming aware of my background, though, he didn't know it yet. And I was ready to do anything to keep it that way.  
  
Climbing on his motorcycle again, Dante looked as if he was waiting for me. "What?" I asked, not knowing what he wanted.  
  
"Well, do you have more information or do you have to be getting back?"  
  
I nearly cringed at hearing those last few words. I didn't want to go back. I knew what would happen. It'd be just like every other day except that I was actually working. I had a job, finally, and it just happened to have seemed easy until I started. I'd get back to the Underworld, my instructor would question, I'd get furious because he'd expect for it to be done soon, and then he'd tell me I couldn't do it anymore. Something I wasn't exactly looking forward to.  
  
"I've told you all that I know."  
  
"Alright." Tension was thick in the air between us.  
  
I turned and started to walk away to the location of the portal I had to take but Dante called out. "Where are you going?" Knowing he didn't want to ask that question and that I didn't want to answer it, I almost didn't. But I didn't want to break any tiny thread of trust between us.  
  
"Home." I stated simply.  
  
"Where's that?"  
  
"You don't want to know."  
  
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have asked." I don't know who felt more stupid: Dante or me.  
  
"Well, you don't, trust me."  
  
"Listen, do you even have a home?" My heart fell. I knew that technically I did but it didn't feel like home. Even Dante felt more like home than the Underworld and I'd only known him for two days.  
  
"I do. But it's not home. It's just my place of residence." If my instructor ever found out my heart was turning away from the Underworld he'd destroy me. Painfully.  
  
"You know, if I see you again... how am I supposed to get your attention?" Asked Dante, slyly. I knew what he wanted and so did he but he hid it well. So well, in fact, that it took me a second to figure it out.  
  
"Just holler for Zoe." Regretfully, I walked back to the portal, my red, wavy hair flowing in the slight breeze I knew I'd never feel again until I came back to Earth.  
  
I heard Dante start up his motorcycle and drive off. Leaving me with nothing but the faint sounds of the engine that were already fading so quickly. As my burning eyes fell upon the portal, I snapped my head back around, hoping to see him standing there but that was more than I should have ever hoped for. I walked through and gasped as I re-entered the Underworld. My instructor was standing right in front of me, arms crossed before his chest, with the most sour expression I'd ever seen him bear. Just seeing him there, like that, made me feel the pain I knew would be coming. 


	3. The Final Five

"Zoe..." He said, looking at me very angrily.  
  
"Yes, sir." I said, in more of a question than I thought, as my heart stopped.  
  
"You keep going up there and you haven't even finished training. And you haven't even been told everything, yet."  
  
My heart started to beat again, realizing that he wasn't curious about why I was always so eager to arrive on Earth. I had never been so relieved in my entire life. "I thought you wanted me to remain in the dark?"  
  
"I did but I think that it would be best if you knew exactly what we wanted."  
  
"Well, so do I."  
  
"Come." He said, gesturing down the hall to where his "office" was. "I should be discussing this with you."  
  
So we walked down to the room. Disgust grew rapidly inside of me as I walked past hideous walls, lined with paintings that looked as if they were created with blood. But I knew it wasn't and I also knew that this wasn't a cheap place. Everything looked expensive, for what reason I have no idea because all anyone cared about here was taking over Earth. Strangely, I found myself longing to look upon the demon heads decorating Dante's wall. At least they made me laugh. He opened the door and let me in, closing it behind us.  
  
His room was expensive. More so than any I'd seen in the Underworld, especially mine. His desk was made of the finest wood, chairs of the finest leather, and a showcase showing off the finest medals I'd ever seen. It was a room that was a lot more royal and aristocratic than I'd ever seen. The "carpeting" looked like velvet and the blankets thrown over the backs of chairs looked like crushed rose petals. I seriously wished this room was mine. But I was stuck with the quarters that felt like the ones meant for slaves and I certainly was not a slave.  
  
He motioned for me to sit down, in one of the chairs that caught my fancy, as he did likewise. "Now, Zoe, you know why."  
  
"Yes, sir. I do." I replied in an unhappy tone. Or maybe it was a jealous one...  
  
"Good. First of all, we picked you because we thought he might go for you." He clasped his hands together on his desk.  
  
"What the fuck do you mean by that?" His eyes widened as I angrily snapped out at him.  
  
"Zoe calm down. I mean that, in the simplest way, you're an attractive woman. And we know he likes women. Especially women like you."  
  
I rolled my eyes again, losing track of how many times I'd done that when I was in his presence. "So, what you mean is that he likes demonic women, like me. Right? Or is it that he likes women who are supposed to be leading him into a trap?" My mind reminded me of the first time I met Trish. I knew she had been trying to do the same thing, to the same Hunter, for the same man. I was ashamed and knew I had to turn my ways just like she did.  
  
"Neither. He likes beautiful women."  
  
Standing up in less than an eye's blink, I accidentally pushed the chair behind me, creating a loud screeching sound. "I'm doing this because 'I'm beautiful?' Not because you think I can?" I ran my hand back through my hair, beyond a state of being pissed.  
  
"Partially. But I do think you can do this. Though, we needed someone he would let in. And we thought he'd let you in."  
  
I sat back down, pulling the chair back to its original spot as I did so. "You know, I really don't like your train of thought."  
  
"That doesn't matter, now does it?"  
  
"Obviously not."  
  
"Back to the matter at hand." He leaned back, relaxing. "You are meant, not just to lead him into a trap, but to get information about all of the other Hunters. Giving us the chance to take them down as well."  
  
"So why didn't you tell me to 'trap' one of them, instead of Dante?" I then realized the stupidity of my question and how it could show my true feelings for this job.  
  
"Because he's the one we're all afraid of. Though, you seem to lack any fear of him."  
  
"That's because I don't need to fear him."  
  
"Oh? Why's that?" I was really beginning to consider the notion that my instructor already knew about my attraction.  
  
"He doesn't fear me, that's why."  
  
He lowered his eyebrows but accepted that answer and continued. "We have summoned more demons from Hell. And, this time, you're not to tell him. These are supposed to be special, call them a surprise."  
  
Knowing I couldn't do as he demanded, I inquired about the demons. "What are these?"  
  
"There are five different ones, now: Burgons, Kenders, Isedons, Rdions, and Gnollos. Each one is powered by an element. The Burgons get strength from fire. Kenders are just the opposite."  
  
"Water, then." I interjected.  
  
He nodded. "Rdions are of air and Gnollos are of earth."  
  
"What about the Isedons? What are they powered by?"  
  
"Ah... they are the most difficult to put down, as they are from spirit."  
  
"If that is true then how are they killed? Spirits cannot be." I insisted.  
  
"They can only be killed by the proper instrument."  
  
"A... spirit weapon. Very original name." That comment got me one of the most dirty looks he'd ever given me.  
  
"Yes. And," he opened a drawer and pulled out an object wrapped in thick cloth. "This is for you. Just in case one ever turns on you."  
  
I took the bundle as he pushed it across the desk. Unwrapping it, I nearly gasped. It wasn't, in fact, an object. It was a pair of long daggers. I picked them up and, to my surprise, they were as light as air. "Why is that?" I asked, referring to the weight.  
  
"They are spirit weapons. Not only will they work on spirit demons but any creature, demonic or otherwise."  
  
"So, just a weapon with a great advantage."  
  
"Basically yes."  
  
"Thank you, sir."  
  
"No need. As I have a feeling they'll come in good use. Now," he said as he stood up. "I really must ask you to leave; I've business to attend to."  
  
"Yes." I picked up both weapons and walked back to my quarters. As I entered, I quickly shut the door and walked to my closet. Inside, I placed my new weapons next to my guns, swords knives, bow and arrows, and my flail. Those were all I had, my pride. Strange, I know.  
  
When I neared my "desk" there came a knock on my door. "What?" I hollered out, annoyed by the immediate interruption.  
  
"Zoe, come out." The voice was one I did not recognize.  
  
Grabbing a small knife and slipping it up my long sleeve, I opened the door. "Who are you?" It was a demon and one I'd never seen before.  
  
"My name?"  
  
I sighed out of pure disbelief. "Yes."  
  
"Dartan, my lady."  
  
"Why did you call me that?"  
  
"Because you are the daughter of our ruler, are you not?"  
  
"Bloody hell..." I whispered to myself. "Yes, I am and, if you don't mind, I'd like to forget that."  
  
"Ma'am, I did not expect that from you. He is an excellent ruler."  
  
"You only say that because He'd kill you if you said otherwise."  
  
"I've no comment."  
  
"See?" I asked, clearly proud of myself. "It's true."  
  
Dartan took a deep breath and began to speak again. "Your Father, miss, has asked for your presence."  
  
"Oh, is that so?"  
  
He nodded. "He said it was urgent, as well."  
  
"Then why didn't the lazy ass come here and get me Himself?"  
  
"If you don't mind my saying so, you certainly should not be talking about Him like that."  
  
I laughed at the poor creature. "I'm His daughter. He's not going to be killing me anytime soon. I guarantee it." Walking past Dartan as I headed for my father, I heard him whimper. He followed me.  
  
The moment I saw my Father I heard Him call out. "Zoe!"  
  
"Yes, father...?"  
  
"I've not seen you for a while."  
  
"Well, recently I've been busy. Thankfully so." I knew He'd heard me and I didn't quite want that.  
  
"Thankfully so?" He repeated. "What does that mean?"  
  
"It means that I have been bored and I am grateful for this chance to actually do something."  
  
"Oh, I hoped that's what it meant. No, what is this I hear about you getting the 'trap' job?"  
  
"It's true, if that's what you were wondering."  
  
"No. I know it's true. I was wondering about if you're enjoying this chance to take him in."  
  
I allowed a smile to snake across my lips, knowing that I could actually answer this truthfully and He wouldn't know the difference between the how I interpreted it and the way He did. "Very much, Father. Very much indeed..."  
  
"Excellent!" He cried. "So you have no problem with this?"  
  
"Not at all."  
  
"Again, excellent. But do you think this is cause for celebration?"  
  
My smile grew. "Of course it is."  
  
"Then celebration it is." He raised His glass of wine. "To the rise of the Underworld!"  
  
After his voice stopped, all of the demons within hearing distance called out the exact same words, except for me. Proudly, but silently, I called out my own little cheer: "To the rise of the Hunters... to the rise of Dante." 


	4. Some Things Are Best Left For Tomorrow

I was laying on my bed, waiting for my hated instructor to come in and tell me I had to go back, when I heard a knock on the door. "What?"  
  
"Zoe, can I come in? I hate it out here." Even though I didn't recognize the voice I knew who would say that. There was only one other, that I knew of, who hated the Underworld.  
  
"Sure, Gwen." I was so relieved to actually have someone in the Underworld who understood everything and a person that I could talk to. It was comforting because she hated them, too. "What do you need?"  
  
She closed the door. "That damned instructor of yours." I watched as she curled her fists together so tightly I thought she was going to cut herself.  
  
"What did he do now?" Smiling, I couldn't help but to think about all the things he could've done.  
  
"He keeps talking about you to his 'secretary.' Did you know that?" She sat down at the foot of my bed as I propped myself up.  
  
"You mean his 'sex slave?'"  
  
Gwen laughed. "Yeah but she's not exactly a slave."  
  
"No, you're right, she's not. But... I haven't heard. What's he been saying?" I sat up, very close to being frustrated.  
  
"Well, let me tell you this first: he's only telling her. As if," she paused, looking for the words. "he's not so much believing but assuming it. And he knows that if he says the wrong thing to the wrong person your father will kill him."  
  
"Oh, God, I wish he would."  
  
"I know, so do I. But he's been saying that you're not going to go through with this. That the Earth, and someone on it, have made you weak."  
  
"That's what he's been saying?" I asked with a smile.  
  
Gwen looked at me in pure confusion. "Yeah, it is."  
  
"Well, he's right." As I said that last word I thought she was going to fall over.  
  
"He's right." She repeated, trying to make herself believe it. "Then what... wait, who is it?"  
  
"Who's what?"  
  
"The one who is making you weak."  
  
I started laughing uncontrollably.  
  
"Zoe, I'm serious."  
  
"I know you are. It's very funny, though."  
  
"Just tell me who it is."  
  
"Alright." I said between forced breaths. "Dante. He's the one."  
  
She didn't laugh, just looked at me, mouth agape. "Him?"  
  
"Yes. You've got a problem with that?" I asked almost angrily until she laughed.  
  
"You're sent to lead him into a trap and you end up falling in love with him?"  
  
Finally, I stopped laughing. "I know. It's too strange."  
  
"But what if someone finds out? What'll you do?"  
  
"Well, right now, you're the only one who knows. And I'm trusting that you won't tell anything. That you'll never even say it aloud, again."  
  
"I won't, I swear. But what about the instructor?"  
  
"I'm going to have to kill him." Gwen nearly stopped breathing.  
  
"Listen, Zoe, if you do they'll have your head."  
  
"I was trained as an assassin. I think I can do this."  
  
"Alright. But I'm helping, okay?"  
  
I closed my eyes and smiled to myself. "Yes, it's okay."  
  
An hour later, after Gwen had left, there was another knock at my door. "Come in." I called, being slightly vexed.  
  
My instructor walked in. "There is something I need you to do."  
  
"What?" Honestly, I had no idea why he got all the "cushy" jobs. He stayed in his office constantly while I was always out, running his errands. But I didn't want to upset him, for fear that he'd take this job away from me.  
  
"I need you to talk to Dante again." I accidently sprung up from my bed just at hearing that name which was surely an action that allowed him to confirm his assumptions.  
  
"Why? What am I to tell him?" I asked as I regained my composure.  
  
"You are to ask him about the others."  
  
"The other Hunters?" That was a subject I didn't want to bring up with him.  
  
"Yes." A word I didn't want to hear, no matter how badly I wanted to go up there again.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Now." Grumbling to myself, I muttered something about him being thankful I was ready. It hit me, then, as I was leaving my room, that he hadn't told me what to ask. He only said to ask about the others. I cursed my instructor under my breath.  
  
Walking through the portal, I realized how sick of that I was. I landed in the same town, the same alley, the same thing. The only thing that kept me doing that was Dante. And even I was beginning to doubt if he could make me do it much longer. Smiling, I looked up at that big, pink, neon sign, from about a block away. I have no idea why but it made me happy.  
  
I neared the door and lifted up my hand to knock but I heard a voice.  
  
"You lookin' for someone in particular?" Before I turned around, I felt my heart stop. I knew that voice but I wasn't quite sure, then, who it was.  
  
"As a matter of fact, I am." I said as I twisted to face the man.  
  
"Well, who are you lookin' for?"  
  
"Sorry but I'm not really looking anymore."  
  
"Then I suppose you found him."  
  
"Yes, I did."  
  
Dante smiled. "Alright... so what do you need?"  
  
"I need to ask you a few things."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I thought you might know about the other Hunters."  
  
He stopped moving and just looked at me. "What do you want to know about them?"  
  
"Honestly, I'm not really sure. I just know that I'll be needing information on them." As I watched Dante open the door, letting me inside, I knew that he, too, had an assumption about me.  
  
When he got to his desk he threw himself back into his over-sized leather chair, sighing. "Listen, babe, I'm the demon hunting kind of Hunter. Not the information hunting kind, like you seem to be. So I don't really know much about them but..." He looked up at me and shook his head.  
  
"But what?" I insisted.  
  
"I have no fucking clue why I'm doing this." He whispered to himself as he looked down, thinking I didn't hear. But then, as he lifted his head, his gaze fell on me and he smiled slyly. I had hoped that was a good thing. "Nevermind. I do happen to know a few things about them." 


	5. Falling Even Farther

"What do you know?" I asked cautiously.  
  
Dante opened his mouth to answer but ended up laughing at me again. He'd done that every time I saw him. It distressed me. "Would you sit down? You keep acting like we're not acquainted." I did as he asked, despite his laughing.  
  
"I know we are, it's just that you... sort of, I don't know, make me uncomfortable." Fear ran through my veins as I said those words, thinking that he'd get the wrong impression. But he just laughed harder.  
  
"I make you uncomfortable?" I thought that he wouldn't be able to get those words out because he was laughing that hard, apparently amused by my obvious uncertainty when I was around him.  
  
"Yes. You are quite intimidating. And you've got that... air about you."  
  
Dante tilted his head to the side, still laughing. "Air?"  
  
"Well, yes. It's like you're ready to chop my head off at any moment if I do the wrong thing." I said nervously, knowing that he had every reason to do so.  
  
"Babe, I'm not gonna hurt you. Besides, I could never hurt a true lady."  
  
"What are you implying, that I'm a 'true lady?'"  
  
"You're more of a lady then all the whores who live here." He defended but I didn't know exactly what he was defending.  
  
"Oh, aren't you a gentleman?" I asked sarcastically.  
  
"Of course I am. 'Cause otherwise I wouldn't be tellin' you this shit." Dante countered.  
  
"Alright, I agree with that but will you tell me?" He rolled his eyes.  
  
"If I wasn't going to then you wouldn't be in here." Said Dante, quite smugly. "Now, what do you need to know about them?"  
  
"I told you; I'm not really sure." At that point, I was so afraid that Dante was just going to push me out the door and send me back on my way to the Underworld. But he had a few more surprises left to show me.  
  
"Then you might not hear what you want to hear." Warned the Hunter.  
  
"That's all right. Anything will be want I want to hear." Breathing a sigh of relief, I realized he was... perfect.  
  
Dante started, thankfully, at the beginning only pausing to answer my occasional question. I knew this information he was telling me was important but sometimes I got lost, only listening to the sound of his voice rather than the words his voice was forming. Every few moments he would stop and just wait for me because I kept getting lost in thoughts. He constantly had me smiling, completely embarrassed, and asking him to continue. It was a few long, blissful hours before he'd finished.  
  
"So, did you hear what you needed to know?"  
  
"I can guarantee that's a yes. You only told me everything. Thank you." I knew I had done something wrong because that "thank you" was hollow. Like my heart had become.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"Well, I really... must be going." Dread hung heavily on those few words.  
  
As I started to get up and leave Dante stopped me, just like the first time. "You don't wanna go back, do you?"  
  
"Am I that transparent?" I asked, turning around to face him again.  
  
"Hate to say it but, yeah, you are." I saw him smile, again, for my sake. He was being so sweet it almost killed me. "Why not?"  
  
"I hate it there. It's so dark and distressing. All anyone wants to do is destroy. I'm sick of all the carnage." Wondering why he'd care made me lose all worries about what I was telling him. I was just planting clues for him to find, leading to the fact that I was from a place no one loved.  
  
"You should just be happy you've got a home. And family..." For the first time that day, it really hit me (harder than a shotgun blast to the head) as to how unlike himself Dante had become in the past twenty-four hours but I soon put those thoughts to the back of my mind as I saw a strange, nostalgic look in his blue eyes. And I knew why.  
  
"I'd take your situation at any moment."  
  
He struggled to figure that one out. "Why?"  
  
"At least your family loved you, though they are gone. Mine..." I scoffed. "They're not even capable of love."  
  
"Harsh."  
  
"Very."  
  
"What about friends? Surely you've got some of them." Even though I felt the strangest attraction to this man, his pressing was kind of unnerving.  
  
"I've got one. And only because we think alike." My short reference to our hatred of the Underworld. He raised an eyebrow, approving that, and also making me wonder about him. "What about you?"  
  
Dante shook his head. "It's easier, with this job, to just leave people out of everything unless they've got a demon on their ass. No one ever could understand why I'd go out in the middle of the night with two pistols and a big-ass sword. Got a bunch of strange looks doing that."  
  
I laughed. "Well, I admit, I'd have to give you one, as well."  
  
"Oh, thanks."  
  
"It's not every day you see that."  
  
"To them... it is."  
  
"I think you should keep it that way."  
  
Dante grinned. "I'm plannin' on doin' that."  
  
"I hope so." I whispered as I turned back to face the door. "I really do." I started to reach for the doorknob.  
  
"Oh, come on." He said playfully, as he stood up. "Leaving... so soon?"  
  
That was the last thing I had ever expected from a man like him; the playful attitude caught me more off-guard than anything else, even the sudden show of compassion. I nearly stopped breathing entirely. "Yes. Why?"  
  
Dante shrugged and gave me another sly smile. "No calls, no demons, no hunts. I'm bored."  
  
I wanted, so badly, just to know what he wanted. "And what do you suggest?"  
  
"Why do you women always do that?" Asked the Hunter as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Make men decide everything." My face could only stay straight for so long. That comment made me laugh out madly.  
  
"And what are you deciding?" I asked between laughs.  
  
"I have no idea. But I know there's an argument there."  
  
"Listen, that argument will have to be postponed. I've got to go." I was so angry at myself for saying that, that I just rushed out the door until I heard him talk again.  
  
"Boy, you really are something." He said, sounding almost disgusted.  
  
"What are you talking about?" I was almost angry.  
  
"You're goin' and you really would rather die than do that, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I already told you that." Dante was scaring me, quite literally, with his extremely perceptive nature.  
  
"But this time it's different. It's not just that you don't like your 'home,' it's something else entirely. But what could it be...?" He added the last part as if it were a question directed to himself.  
  
He was so right that it hurt me. "Yeah." Was my quick, stupid reply.  
  
The sweetest thing he was probably capable of came so quickly that I was caught unprepared. "You don't get out much, do you?"  
  
"No. Never had the opportunity." I was even more frightened by this new behavior that he was showing, not knowing anything that could have sparked it.  
  
"Good. Come on." From that moment on I realized that he could change attitudes so quickly, and without notice, that I had no reason to assume that any one behavior belonged to him. And that once he was sure of a person and comfortable, he had the potential to be the sweetest guy in the world. That part took me a long while to believe, though.  
  
He grabbed his car keys and walked out through the door, over to the vehicle. I still stood there, stunned. "Zoe." He called. "Come on."  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" I asked as he motioned for me to get in. But my question didn't come from a lack of surety, because I trusted him, it came from confusion. Closing the door, I walked slowly over to him.  
  
"All I'm gonna do, honey, is show you how to live." I climbed in after him, realizing that this was a night and a favor I would never forget, and he started the engine. Dante drove off into the center of town, the heart of town, completely ignoring his business that entire night. 


	6. When Things Almost Start To Brighten Up

It was a very long time before we got back. But I was happy about that. Not only did I manage to avoid the Underworld but I also managed to spend a few hours with Dante. And those were a few hours that had made me more ecstatic than I ever thought possible. It was like a dream... only reality. A perfect reality in which I always wanted to live.  
  
"Well," He said as he pulled back in next to Devil Never Cry. "Looks like someone had a good time."  
  
I presume he said that because I was smiling broadly. Reaching down to grab the edge of the leather seat, I responded. "I suppose. Considering I've never even been to that part of town before." I opened the door. He did the same.  
  
Dante closed his door and folded his arms on the top of it, resting his chin on them. I looked over at him. Thankfully, he noticed and gestured towards the sky, grinning. I looked over only to see a huge surprise. The sun was rising to greet us. It's grapefruit rays were already beating down on the Earth. My tired, drained gaze shifted back to the Hunter who was just standing there, looking completely awake, as if it was then that he thrived.  
  
"What time is it?" His blue eyes shifted so that I was their willing target.  
  
"Judging from that and the season..." He faked a yawn. "It should be about five."  
  
"Five." I repeated, as if that truly meant something. "Oh, damn."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I probably shouldn't have done that." I was so worried my eyes didn't stop on any one thing for any one moment. Until Dante spoke again, then my gaze stopped. Right on him.  
  
"Why? Had too much fun?" That got a laugh from me.  
  
"Not too much. I think that was a healthy dose. But... I was supposed to be back a long time ago." I said extremely reluctantly.  
  
"They given you a deadline or some other shit like that?" As I kept looking at him, I noticed something. I wasn't quite sure what it was but I thought it to be a mixture of anger, pity, and compassion. Again, he frightened me with his new behavior. Maybe it was just because I wasn't used to it...  
  
"Something like that. No matter how much I do not wish to admit it, I must be getting back before my punishment is greater. But... thank you." I started walking away. "The 'crime' will definitely justify the punishment."  
  
Stealing one more glance at him, I noticed, yet another, emotion on his face that I didn't quite recognize. It was really starting to annoy me, in that strange, affectionate way.  
  
As I walked through the familiar portal I saw someone standing in front of me, in the Underworld. For a moment I couldn't see but when my eyes adjusted to the dank light I identified the man to be my instructor. I opened my mouth to speak but stopped because I immediately felt a cold, hard slap across my face. Twisting my head around under the force, I felt the stinging begin instantly.  
  
"Zoe! You know how long these trips are supposed to take. And eight hours is far too long for someone of your skill." He grabbed my by the arm and pulled me, unwillingly, to his office.  
  
"What the hell were doing up there?" At that precise moment I knew, with all of my soul, he wasn't assuming anymore. He knew. So I came out but just to him.  
  
Looking over at a tiny movement, I saw Gwen. She nodded, causing to me to go on with our old plan. "I was having fun. If that is such an offense." I said proudly, angering him.  
  
"With him." He scoffed.  
  
"Who else?" I knelt down quickly and groped around my ankle until I found my small dagger. Standing back up again, and directing my attention to him, I noticed that he was now circling me. Seriously pissed off.  
  
"How can you betray us when we've taken care of you your whole life?"  
  
I rolled my eyes, finally letting him see. "You call being treated as if I am nothing being taken care of? Because I really don't appreciate that. But... it really is amazing what the Underworld can teach one, isn't it?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" I saw nervousness pour out of him.  
  
"I was taught how to kill from the day I could walk. But, strange as it seems, I am very happy for that. Because I hear you were raised as one of the scholarly types. I'm thankful."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I can do this and you can't." I lunged at him, as though I was going to attack, but I flipped over him and kicked his feet out, dropping him to the ground.  
  
"Damn you, Zoe." He whispered.  
  
Sighing, I bent down and grabbed his shirt, pushing him up against the wall. "You really are pathetic." I said as I drew the dagger across his throat, bathing part of the room in blood. "Pathetic..."  
  
"Zoe." Gwen came out of the corner with a smile on her face. "Nice work but... you know what we agreed on."  
  
I felt so horrible for letting her do this but I knew she wanted it and it would be best, in the long run. "Yeah, I do."  
  
I ran out of my instructor's old office to find some authority but ended up finding Dartan. "My lady, what are you doing here?" I had to feign panting, which was quite funny actually, as he went along with it. Don't know why, though.  
  
"Gwen...." Bending over, I placed my hands on my knees. "She killed him."  
  
That got his attention. "Killed who?"  
  
"My instructor, she killed him!"  
  
"Where is she?" Dartan eagerly asked, hoping that this was his big break.  
  
I gestured towards his office. "Stay here." He ran off, reappearing in a few minutes with a struggling Gwen.  
  
"Let go of me, you bastard!" I had to literally clamp my hand over my mouth to stop the laughing. She was playing her part so well. But I soon defeated that because I knew what they were going to do with my best friend and I didn't want that.  
  
She was brought, within minutes, to my father. He was in a large, cathedral-like building with multiple floors for optimum viewing. And it was, surprisingly, a very pale room with plenty of light. If it wasn't the Underworld, it would've looked holy. Dartan had tied up her hands and had pushed her down onto her knees in front of my towering relative. There was an entire crowd of demons, hollering and carrying on, wanting to see some blood spilled.  
  
"Gwen..." He was obviously waiting for a chance to kill her because he hadn't killed anyone or anything in days, maybe hours. "You killed him."  
  
"He deserved it, the ass." She was slapped across the face with a blade.  
  
"Well, you did. And you shall be punished for murdering a member of a higher rank."  
  
"Then what the fuck is my punishment? It's coming so why don't you just bring it?" Again, she was slapped for talking to our leader in such a manner. Which made it difficult for me to watch but I had to, though my friend was being sentenced horribly for a crime I committed.  
  
"Death." Gesturing at a few of the "law," my father had them take her away.  
  
He walked over to me, obviously sensing distress. Though he was a cruel, merciless leader and a violent warrior he showed a slight amount of affection towards me. I think that it was forced because I was his daughter but it still shocked me everytime he did it.  
  
"Zoe?" He asked as he came up beside me.  
  
"Yes, father?"  
  
"You will be alright, I presume? I know she was the only friend you've got down here."  
  
"I will be fine."  
  
My father smiled. "That is excellent. You will need to be if you are to continue this assignment, though your instructor is dead."  
  
"I'll manage." I ran off to my quarters. For that entire day and night I slept. Dreaming wild thoughts about allying the Hunters and destroying the Underworld, once and for all. But at the times when I couldn't sleep, I fashioned more powerful bullets for my guns or sharpened my blades. I wanted to be ready for what I knew was going to come. Nearly twenty-four hours after I left Dante, I was awakened from a frightful dream by an incessant knocking on the metal of my door. I slid out from under the blankets and walked over.  
  
"Miss," Dartan said as I opened the door. "I am pleased to say that I have been promoted."  
  
Yawning, I leaned on the door frame. "Let me guess, you're my new instructor, right?"  
  
"Yes, I am. You're much more perceptive than what they told me."  
  
"Yeah, I'm full of surprises. So what do you want?"  
  
"I came here to tell you, ma'am, that your job is no where near finished. And that you'll be needing to go back and get a bit more information that fills in some holes."  
  
"Yay." I said with fake enthusiasm that wasn't exactly fake.  
  
"But, whether you like it or not, I am coming along." He said with an authoritative grin.  
  
"No..." I whispered, turning around and nearly slamming the door on his face.  
  
"Is there something wrong?"  
  
In a horribly exposing reply, I told him the truth. "Yeah, there is."  
  
"May I ask what that would be?" I almost thought he was offended.  
  
"Listen, I don't work well when there's someone with me to distract me from what I'm doing. And, anyway, I don't think he'd take to kindly to one who's so obviously a demon." I said, referring to his extreme demonic appearence.  
  
"Fine. But if I don't get information out of you then your father will be hearing about this."  
  
"Don't care." And with that I closed the door and walked to my bathroom, cleaning up.  
  
When I was finished, almost a half hour later, I walked out of my room, taking my sketchbook. Now, there was no reason that I could think of for doing so but it just felt like if I didn't... then something wouldn't happen that I wanted to happen. So I went with it. As I left a smile crept across my hollow face, again, for there was another portal leading to Earth. But, more importantly, it lead to Dante. 


	7. Bringing The Fears To Life

I knocked on the large doors of Devil Never Cry. (I couldn't exactly remember how many times I'd done that in the past week.) A few seconds later I heard a very familiar voice. So I opened the door just to see him in his leather chair, with Ivory resting on his chest as he polished Ebony. Dante looked up and immediately started laughing.  
  
"God, why don't you just live here?" He asked jokingly.  
  
"Oh, like you could handle living with a girl."  
  
He tilted his chin back. "You're right, they're too much trouble."  
  
"You do realize that you could be getting into serious trouble, right?"  
  
His only reply was a light chuckle, which was enough for me. "Got a demon to slaughter today?"  
  
Not shockingly, that sent a shiver down my spine. "Not exactly."  
  
"Then what is it?"  
  
"Well, you might have already told me this but I was wondering if you knew the locations of the other eight Hunters."  
  
"Yeah, I do. But... why?"  
  
"Because I'm leaving and I plan on finding them."  
  
Dante shook his head. "You'll have a hard time doin' that."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cause I only know what countries they're in. Not their specific locations."  
  
"That'll be enough."  
  
"Alright." He said, gesturing for me to, once again, sit down. "The first one is here, in the United States. From what I've heard she's somewhere out west cause I'm holdin' the fort over here. Our second Hunter is in England and the third is in Egypt. Another is in... shit... oh, Tibet. Forgot about her for a second. The fifth Hunter is somewhere in Peru, I believe. The sixth one is in New Zealand. The seventh is in Japan and the last one is in Scotland."  
  
I blinked after hearing all of that. "They're widely dispersed, aren't they?"  
  
"That was the whole idea. We're supposed to cover as much of this Earth as we can, which isn't a lot considering there's only nine of us."  
  
"Nine... why only nine?"  
  
Laughing, he seemed a little uncomfortable telling me this. "This is gonna sound like the corniest thing you've ever heard but apparently the 'god' or 'gods' who first had the idea of the Hunters was fucked up. And in that really fucked up head they thought that there should be one Hunter for each planet in the solar system. Not even considering the fact that more than nine Hunters would be really great. It's like those damn 'gods' were dumb as hell. And each planet has a special quality to it that they share with each of us Hunters. As if it does any good; none of us have even bothered tryin' to use that power." I nearly started laughing because that was the corniest and the strangest thing I'd ever heard.  
  
"Do you know why?"  
  
"Probably just to fuck with us." He said it as if he believed that it was the true reason why.  
  
"So... what's your planet?" I asked with an extremely broad smile.  
  
He took a deep breath. "You're such a bitch... Mercury."  
  
My eyes widened at hearing that planet's name. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah. What's the big deal?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. Nevermind." But it wasn't nothing. In fact, I was born on a Wednesday. The day of Mercury. Which, I suppose, could explain a lot of things concerning Dante and me. But I wasn't about ready to tell him that or assume anything, at least, not yet anyway.  
  
Dante cleared his throat like it would get off the subject. "It's gonna take a long time to get them all together."  
  
"Oh well. I have to do this." Just a second later, the look he gave me was the most...confused I'd ever seen him wear.  
  
"Why? What's it gonna do?" The look didn't stop, telling me to go on.  
  
"It's the Underworld. They're planning on an invasion."  
  
He stood up, clearly upset. "You know, you seem to be the only who knows this shit. Why is that? I've been in contact with the others and even they don't know what's going on. Why do you?"  
  
I sank back into the chair. "I..." Not being able to go on, I stopped.  
  
"You're one of them." Dante stated simply, knowing perfectly well that he was right. "You're a fucking demon... and I told you everything that would help those fuckers."  
  
"Wait, just listen to me." Begging as I heard the angriest tone from him, I almost lost it.  
  
He walked over and grabbed his sword from off its hook on the wall. "Only if you're gonna tell me why you're here and what you're doing."  
  
"Give me a minute to explain." Before I could start he pressed the point to my neck.  
  
"Why are you here?" He growled, repeating the question to get an actual answer. The fierceness that he said that with made me truly believe that he was going to push his arm out, just enough, so that it'd pierce me. So I answered truthfully, thinking that lying to him would only make things worse. Not that they could get any worse...  
  
"I was sent here to..." I could barely say it. "To... lead you into a trap."  
  
Dante closed his eyes forcibly and shook his head. I could feel the sword pressing closer. "So when are they comin' for me?"  
  
"They're not." I knew that was going to catch him off guard and that's what all my hopes rested on.  
  
"Why not?" Thank God he was wanting answers, otherwise...  
  
"Because they don't know anything I found out from you. I never told them."  
  
"And you did that, why?"  
  
"I didn't want them to take over this world."  
  
"Whoa, hold up. How would leading me into a trap, when there's eight other Hunters, bring around the confiscation of this world?" He pulled the sword back, sensing no threat he couldn't take care of.  
  
"You're the strongest of them all. If the Underworld can take you then surely the others will be no challenge. They know that if you go then this place is theirs for the taking."  
  
"Alright. So don't you want them to take over?" He repeated, trying to get himself to believe it.  
  
When I neglected to answer he gave me the angriest look ever, telling me that he did want an answer to that question. "No, I don't."  
  
"Dammit, aren't you a demon?" He asked, so frustrated that I thought he would just mercilessly kill me. But I realized that he was a man of honor and would never kill without a reason. At least... he wouldn't kill a human without a reason which made me extremely curious as to why he didn't just do me in.  
  
"Yes. But don't you remember Trish? She was and she changed."  
  
He didn't reply.  
  
"Listen. Don't you think that if I was going to go through with all of this 'trap' shit you'd already be dead?" He still didn't reply. "Don't you?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then why aren't you?" That was my last, desperate attempt at getting him to understand what I wasn't going to do.  
  
It was obvious, by the look on his face, that he didn't want to admit it. But he did. "Because you didn't do it. But, you know, I shouldn't forgive you, no matter what."  
  
"Fine. You don't have to but I want you to know that the first time I came here made me give up my alliance with the Underworld forever. I'll have you know that I have forsaken everything I ever knew so that your ass would be safe." The tone I spoke with was a bit harsher than I'd planned on it being.  
  
He clearly knew that he'd done something to me and the look in his eyes either thanked me or apologized, because, to do either, he was too proud. "Can we get off this subject? Before one of us dies..." I was beyond thankful that he wasn't as unforgiving as everyone made me believe but that last part had me worrying, again. Breathing a sigh of relief, I watched as Dante put Alastor back in its place.  
  
"Gladly."  
  
"I know for a fact that you've already told me this but... say it again: why are you leaving?" Dante looked almost nervous.  
  
"I need to get away." Biting my lip, I was really hoping that he wouldn't pressure me into saying it but his stare convinced me to tell the story. "My new instructor is the best tracker in the Underworld and he's also, most likely, the smartest one there. He will hunt me down. And he will kill you if he finds you. Which is why I must leave tomorrow."  
  
"Then do me one favor before you go."  
  
"Name it."  
  
"Let me borrow that sketchbook tonight."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just let me." Having not one clue why he'd want it, I doubted him for a second but I gave it to him anyway.  
  
"Thanks." He whispered, the soft anger of his voice showing how upset he was with himself for letting a demon get off freely.  
  
As soon as he grabbed it, I left, finding that, this time, he didn't stop me. 


	8. Dream Weaver

As my alarm clock went off loudly, I jumped out of bed, knowing time was not working with me. I grabbed a bag and threw all of my clothing into it and placed my weapons in another. A few minutes later I showered and dressed and, clutching all that I had, quickly left. I had almost forgotten about my need of a portal to get out of that place but, by some unknown stroke of luck, Dartan had left it open. That left me wondering as I stepped upon Earth; he never would've been so careless as to leave that open. For a second, and only for a second, I considered the notion that he purposely let it go.  
  
My feet led me towards the bus stop at the edge of town but my mind understood that there was unfinished business that had to be attended to. The sun was pale but strong on my back as I walked to Devil Never Cry. Morning birds chirped their songs loudly, rabbits sprinted to their holes quickly, and the trees swayed under the harsh winds. Sensing a storm, I hurried my pace until I was finally upon those familiar steps.  
  
Before I could even think about knocking Dante opened the door.  
  
"Isn't it a little early for you to be up?"  
  
"I knew you'd be here as fast as possible. Here..." The Hunter handed me my book. "Good luck finding them."  
  
I was on the verge of crying, because the last thing I wanted to do was leave this town with him in it, so all I could muster was a whisper. "Thanks... but I won't ever be...?"  
  
Thankfully, he spoke before I could finish. "No. Most likely you won't."  
  
I nodded, having that old gut feeling that he was, once again, correct. As I walked off, I had to fight the urge to say goodbye because I knew that, if I did, it would be just like saying I give up. And I didn't want to give up so I headed back to where I'd be able to finally get away and forget him. But that's what I thought and I haven't been known to be right.  
  
Sitting down on an old bench waiting for the bus, I noticed something sticking out of my sketchbook. I heard an engine and looked up, seeing the bus had arrived sooner than I thought it would have. But, even as the doors opened for me, I spitefully opened the book, finding a small, torn piece of paper. The words on it were carefully thought out and the writing was Dante's rushed-yet-ruggedly-sexy writing which also had a few hints of doubt and confusion in the stokes of his pen. And what that note said made me clamp my hand over my mouth before I cried out in disbelief. That was the moment when I realized why I brought my sketchbook with me the day before. I'd done so so that this could happen. My heart started beating wildly, telling me that my decision to leave town was a bad one. With a look up at the driver, one that practically said "I'm boarding neither today nor tomorrow," I put the book back into my bag and picked them both up, finally followed the path I had wanted to follow.  
  
The street, leading back to his home, was longer than I remembered. I was gracious, though. Dante was on the porch with his arms crossed over his chest, his back against the building. To the left of said building was a trio of elderly women; they nearly frightened me because, in the days I'd been in town, I'd never seen them before. They looked too out of place in their sophisticated attire. Obvious anticipation filled Dante's face while he pulled up his right foot and pressed it to the wall. He hung his head, waiting, but, quickly tiring of that, he started walking back inside. And that was the opportune moment I had been waiting for.  
  
Dropping my bags, I ran, no, sprinted to that place but I stopped before the steps as I noticed that he, too, had paused.  
  
"Of course he does." I said in a whisper that was just loud enough for him to hear. And he clearly did because he whipped around at the sound of my voice, looking right at me.  
  
"But..." Dante started to speak back but I fear he... somehow lost the words the moment I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. My long caged desire had finally picked that cursed lock and gotten free. But nervousness poured out of me because I didn't know exactly how he'd react, despite the note he left for me. My fears were quickly dispelled as he grabbed my hips and pulled me up tight to his chest. Just a moment later I thought I'd never fear anything again since, to my shock, I heard Dante breathe a soft moan as he deepened the kiss, letting his persistent tongue enter my mouth. In that short moment so many feelings were shooting through my body that I thought I was literally going to explode. And another one was added to that list of many as I heard soft, educated voices coming from the street.  
  
"Dante...?" I nearly laughed out as the only answer I got was another discreet moan so I roughly nudged his stomach. "Listen. Do you hear that?"  
  
He opened his eyes and slowly pulled back, doing as I said. His lowered eyebrow was enough for me to know that he had, indeed. The voices were the ones of the elderly women.  
  
"Do you see, sisters? It was told." Said the one with midnight black hair.  
  
"Phoebe, do you think it was truly meant?" Asked another but with blonde hair.  
  
"Of course, Selene, they have said it would be so."  
  
The woman with grey-white hair spoke out. "Sisters, let us not forget what it was they said."  
  
"Yes, Luna. We mustn't."  
  
"Say it again... say why it must be so."  
  
The one called Phoebe answered. "They both hail from that planet but she is of the fire on the planet and he of the ice. It is meant because fire is destined to melt ice."  
  
"But why them?"  
  
"Selene, have you seen any others who fit more perfectly?"  
  
"No, I haven't."  
  
"Then it speaks for itself. But... things are not fated to go well. For either of the two." The weird sisters walked off and, surprising me, nearly vanished in fog that was not there five minutes ago.  
  
"Who the hell were they?" Dante asked, just as shocked as I was even though we'd both seen things of the like before.  
  
"I've not got a clue."  
  
It was only about a second later, after he'd dismissed them from his mind, when he realized that I had brought my bags. "So, you'll be staying here won't you?" He asked with a confident attitude.  
  
"If I'm not too much trouble." I said with a smile, catching one from him also as he found my reference to an earlier conversation. He walked out onto the street, picked up my bags, then gestured towards the door. I opened it for him and closed it quickly after both of us had entered. I questioned his actions while I saw him walk up the stairs with my "luggage" but I followed him. Almost doubtfully, I placed one foot on the bottom stair, looking up to see that he had his gaze on me, waiting. So I climbed the rest of the stairs and stepped after Dante, soon finding that he was leading me to a place I had only dreamt of being since the day I saw him. His bedroom.  
  
"Wait." I said, getting him to stop.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Why didn't you kill me yesterday? I am just another demon, after all.. The kind you kill all the time." I watched him bite his lip and, if I was crazy, I'd have sworn that he was nervous.  
  
"Yeah but... something's different." Unfortunately, that was all he would say.  
  
So I started to reach for one of my bags he'd placed down, to get my book and ask him about the note, but immediately stopped because he had, like a panther, pinned me to his mattress in such a sudden move that I nearly shrieked. On his face was the sexiest grin I'd ever seen anyone wear. My heart was beating so quickly and my breathing had rapidly increased so that I had basically no idea as to what was going on. All I knew was that I had the most beautiful and incredible man in the world pressing me onto his bed and that he was giving me the greatest rush and feeling as he kissed me so passionately I couldn't believe it. He did not seem like the Dante I'd first met but I knew he was, somehow.  
  
I was so lost in ecstasy that I thought that I was sleeping and having a dream that didn't even feel like a dream. But his gentle, loving hand cupping my cheek was enough to prove that idea otherwise. Dante pulled away and sat back a couple times, making me feel so many mixed emotions. I suppose he noticed the angry growl I produced, after he had done that at least five times, because he spoke. "What? You don't like teasing?" He asked, sly as a fox.  
  
Sighing, I shook my head in response.  
  
"Pity. It's so much more fun that way." His tone was playful but that still didn't prepare me for what he did next. Now, it wasn't a huge deal for someone to do what he did but it was... Dante. A legendary demon hunter whom I had never expected this action to come from, especially not when I was there. He had pulled his thin shirt over his head, exposing part of his insanely beautiful self, that perfectly sculpted body that made me melt like butter on hot toast if I had just looked at it for a mere second. As if it was an act of instinct (or maybe just very uncontrollable desire) I slowly and shyly reached out my right hand, pressing it to his bare chest. I smiled as I slid it over the flesh that covered his heart, feeling it beating as hard as mine was.  
  
"So... you don't like teasing, huh?" Dante asked, again, in another soft, seductive whisper. That really had me stumped because I thought that women were supposed to do the seducing but then I remembered that it was Dante. And he could perfectly pull off the seductive whispers and actions because he, himself, was the epitome of seduction.  
  
"Not right now, I don't." I replied, praying that he was going to do what I had wanted him to do since... I have no idea when.  
  
"Alright. Let that be over with, then." And with those final, soft words I new that it was going to be a few long, breathless hours before I got the chance to even speak an entire coherent sentence. 


	9. Allies Anew

As I opened my eyes, everything felt strange and unfamiliar. The room I was in was too normal to be mine, the bed was too soft, and the air was too relaxed. The large window, in the wall in front of me, allowed the extremely pale moon's rays to shine through clearly, though it was soon going to leave. My room didn't have windows. So I took a moment to let everything sink in but it didn't, at least not until I felt an arm around my waist, then I had a sudden realization of what happened and where I was.  
  
I looked back to see Dante, pressed tight up against my back. His skin golden skin, a beautiful match to his white hair, was, as I realized it for the first time, quite a bit darker than my ghostly-white skin. But, forgetting that, I soon saw another change in him. That look on his face was so peaceful, more so than I'd ever seen. It was like all of his cares had been pushed aside. I was liking that.  
  
As I laid back down, Dante opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbow, making me jump. A sigh was the only thing I could manage.  
  
"Well, aren't you jumpy this morning?"  
  
Rolling over onto my back, I looked at him like he was... stupid. "It's two-thirty in the morning. And I don't even know this place so I think I have a right to be, at least, a little jumpy."  
  
"You're a demon and you're afraid of this place? Now tell me, why does that sound strange?" A sure smile passed over his lips.  
  
"Okay," I said, wanting to make it seem as though I wasn't scared. "It does sound strange because it's not true. "  
  
"Fine. Whatever you say, love." Dante lay back down on his side, thinking. "Weren't we supposed to do something?"  
  
"Well, I was going to leave town and find the Hunters but I think you've convinced me to stay. So... no, I don't think we were."  
  
"You said that the Underworld is going to make war again, right?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Then we probably should get them." I sprang up, pulling the sheet with me and catching a disturbed look from Dante.  
  
"Did you just say that?"  
  
"Yeah. Unless this isn't me." He rolled his eyes. "What is it?"  
  
Smiling, I found that I had actually caught him. "You just admitted to needing help."  
  
"No. That may have been what it sounded like but that's what it meant."  
  
"Liar. You know that we're going to need help but you just can't admit that you admitted it."  
  
"Do you have to win every argument?" That was his show of defeat. I was practically swelling with pride.  
  
"Of course I do. Why else would I be here?"  
  
"So you think that the only reason you're here is to keep me in line, huh?"  
  
"Sort of... yeah, that might be it. And I think it's working."  
  
"God, I can't believe I gave you that note." He spoke as he fell down onto his back. "I'm goin' soft."  
  
"You know, I hate to confirm it, but, yeah, you are. Like a big, soft... teddy bear." I could see it so clearly. The look in his eyes just screamed "I'm pissed off, now" and I was loving every minute of it.  
  
"I swear to God, if you ever compare me to a fuckin' teddy bear again..." It was fake anger, I knew that, because he was a little softer now.  
  
"What'll you do?" I loved being able to do that. Pushing him was so much fun because he was surprisingly playful and good-natured about it. And, from one past experience, he seemed to always make it exciting.  
  
"I will hurt you." He said, completely lying. So I leaned down and whispered into his ear. Dante laughed harder than he'd ever done before, when I was there. "Damn, Zoe. You just don't quit, do you?"  
  
I was shocked. "Do you want me to?"  
  
"Hell no." Apparently he'd noticed more confusion from me because he wrapped his arm around my waist again. "Come here."  
  
I let him drag me down, burying my cheek against his warm chest. Dante ran his fingers through my hair and pulled me even closer to him. From the corner of my eye I saw a tiny glimmer so I looked up and saw a small pendant hanging from his neck. It was the crest of Mercury, his "Hunter" sign.  
  
Knowing that I had a question to ask but was extremely frightened to do so, I started drawing patterns on his chest, catching a concerned look from him. "How are we gonna find them? You know how large those countries are?"  
  
"I don't know, honey... I don't know." For the first time since the day I met him, he was without an answer and that worried me.  
  
"Then, tell me something you do know."  
  
"Ask and I will."  
  
"Why'd you do it?" He stopped breathing for a second and I knew that was one question he didn't want to answer.  
  
"Because I didn't want you to leave."  
  
"But I'm one of them."  
  
"No, you're not."  
  
"Okay, then... did you want this?" I asked, referring to our current situation.  
  
"You won't be upset with the hard truth?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Well, I did want this."  
  
"Then you are just as bad as I am." He shook his head, smiling. "I've got another question."  
  
"Do you ever stop?"  
  
"Sorry but I'm curious."  
  
"Fair enough, go ahead."  
  
"What are we gonna do when we get the other Hunters?"  
  
"Hell, I never actually thought about that. I've always been too caught up thinking about how we're gonna get them."  
  
"So, you don't know, again?" It was evident that he didn't like not having some answer because of the constant sighs.  
  
"No. But we're gonna have to let them know everything that's goin' on. The demons, the plans, the... everything else. They'll need to know."  
  
"Well, at least it's a start."  
  
"Better than nothing--" He stopped as he heard a loud knock coming from, what seemed to be, the door downstairs. "What the hell?"  
  
Dante got up and quickly slipped on a pair of pants and, after noticing my aroused curiosity, threw me a large jersey of his. I sat there for a second, wondering if he ever really wore it. As fast as I could, I put that and a small pair of shorts on and followed him to the stairs. He had Ebony in his right hand, back pressed against the wall halfway down the steps, stealth-like, and had Ivory at his left side. There was a faint click and the door slid open silently. It, honestly, felt like one of those movies where the suspense is hanging so thickly in the air that it suffocates you but this was worse. I had every reason in this world to think that it was some demon, sent by my father, to come take me back and kill Dante. And he knew I didn't want that but the stubborn half-demon peered out from behind the wall anyway.  
  
From the look on his face I understood that there was a demon, one he'd never seen before. So I moved right next to him and, in a very, very soft whisper, asked him a burning question. "What's it look like?"  
  
He bit his lip. "Look for yourself." As he backed away I stepped to where he was and took a look. And, the moment my gaze fell upon that horrid creature, my fears were assured. It was an Isedon. A spirit demon.  
  
The thing was nearly transparent, so nearly, in fact, that I could see the wall right through it though it retained a bit of a gray color. It was strong, the muscles in it's body were very apparent. I would've loved to be able to say that it looked like something but, unfortunately, I couldn't, as it looked like practically nothing. Nothing, that is, except for a Frost. Which, after seeing this Isedon, seemed like a younger, weaker, less experienced demon.  
  
"Do you know what it is?" Dante asked.  
  
"Yep." I replied softly.  
  
"Do you know how to kill it?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Do you know how it attacks?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Then you can kill it...?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because these damn demons, curse them, can only be killed with a--" Actually, instead of cursing those demons, I cursed myself for being the owner of such stupidity. I had my weapons that could kill them. They were the only ones I was bent on keeping at all times. I silently ran up to his room, grabbing the two pale, slender blades and bringing them back down to Dante.  
  
"Those will do it?" I nodded in response. "Then you can kill it?"  
  
"As long as you keep its attention, otherwise I don't have a chance." So, while he started gliding down the steps, he turned around and started firing at the demon. After he was on the ground floor, he started walking around, luring the Isedon away so it's back was facing the stairs. As soon as it was turned away I went down and walked up behind it. But it was quite a bit smarter than I'd expected. Letting loose a feral growl, it lashed it's right arm back at me and threw me up against the wall. It took a few moments for me to gather myself and stand up but when I did it shot out a "spirit..." dart, or something of the like, that scraped my arm.  
  
Being, relatively, pissed off, I spun the dagger in my hand, for speed and force, then I threw it at the creature. Dante was still there, in that one spot, firing away without moving at all. The Isedon howled out and turned to face me so, tossing the dagger over to Dante, he came up and decapitated the beast. I turned away, half expecting it to squirt demon blood all over, but all it did was turn into what looked like a puff of smoke, disappearing quickly into the air. Dante handed me back my daggers before he was stopped, by another demon.  
  
"Oh, dear. I'm quite sorry for all of this, really. I told the brute that I could handle it well enough but he followed me anyway. Ah," said Dartan as he saw me standing there. "Now, Zoe, your father is willing to forgive this if you'll just come back."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere." I stated simply.  
  
"Yes, well, he rather expects you to."  
  
"Then he is expecting too much."  
  
He walked over and eyed Dante for a minute. "You're the Hunter?"  
  
"Yeah. And you are...?" He looked sort of disgusted as his eyes fell upon my instructor.  
  
"Dartan. Zoe's instructor." I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Well then, sir, I'm going to say this in the nicest, most polite way possible, okay?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Get the fuck out." Dartan just stood still, as if he was shocked which, I know, he wasn't.  
  
"Excuse me but if I am to go then so is Zoe." Dartan planted his foot down firmly.  
  
"Listen, I've already told you, I'm not going. I hate it there. All they ever think about is destruction, death, and parties. And, I might mention, the parties are never even good."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "You do have a point there. But, my lady--"  
  
"Wait, just... wait." Dante said, impatiently. "What do you mean 'my lady?'"  
  
"You never knew? Well, Zoe is the daughter of our leader." I nearly collapsed.  
  
"Are you really?"  
  
"Yeah." That word barely came out.  
  
"And you're rebelling against them?"  
  
"Uh-huh." Looking away, I thought he was going to kill me for that.  
  
"Oh, that's great." Dante spoke with a broad smile. Then he looked back over at Dartan. "And you're here to... get her back?"  
  
"Yes. But seeing how she doesn't want to and not forgetting that I happen to like this world very much, I suppose I could let her go."  
  
"You're joking, surely?"  
  
"Not at all. As long as I can do something to kill that bastard leader of ours, no offense, Zoe."  
  
"That could never offend me. But why? What did he do to you?"  
  
"I've always been a puppet, a servant of others, and I want that to change."  
  
"So you're gonna help us, huh?" Dante questioned. At that point I couldn't really tell whether he was relieved or upset.  
  
"If there is room."  
  
"Plenty." He said in a tone that brought another shocked expression to my face. 


	10. Shedding Some Light

I had pulled Dante into a corner, away from Dartan. "What are you, crazy?!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He's my goddamn instructor!"  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to do, change my mind? You heard him, Zoe, and I think he's right."  
  
"But..." He had cut me off again.  
  
"Listen to me. If Dartan had wanted to take you away, he could've done that. If he wanted your father to come and kill all of us, he could've done that, too. But he's still here."  
  
"What the fuck has gotten into you?" Dante was seriously starting to worry me. First of all, he didn't kill me and I was sent there to kill him. Second, he had admitted to needing help the night before. And now he was letting another demon help. Something was happening with him and that was something I didn't understand, or like, a bit.  
  
"Apparently... you have." Without any explanation at all, he left me.  
  
I turned around, shocked, and saw that he was now talking to Dartan. Not wanting to know what they were talking about, I walked upstairs in a fury. In a sudden recollection, I reached down and grabbed my sketchbook. Pulling out the note, I saw that the two pages it was in between were ones of a lightning demon and a fire demon. I had no idea what that meant. But, as I sat there on his bed with the book upon my thighs and the note in my hand, I heard the door quietly close. Dante walked in slowly, as if it wasn't his room at all.  
  
"Note?" He asked, coming over and sitting on the edge of the mattress.  
  
"Yeah." I couldn't look up, no matter how much I wanted to. "And don't even try to manage one of your 'I'm-not-apologizing-but-this-is-my- apology' tricks. I don't deserve it."  
  
"I guess I'm the transparent one now, huh?"  
  
"No. Because if you were then I would know why you're acting like this."  
  
"Honey, you should know." He gave me, yet another, pity look. I was getting so tired of that.  
  
"I don't, so just tell me."  
  
"Over the past week I've finally been able to swallow some pride and admit a few things. We can't win this without help, Zoe. We're not Batman and Robin, here. We can be stopped. So that's why I confessed the help thing. And I can also admit that... I have been a little..." He really didn't want to say this. It was more clear than a car in the middle of the Sahara. "Asshole-ish. Actually, more than a little because I knew you were a demon; I could sense it on you."  
  
My jaw dropped. "You knew?" He nodded. "Then why the fuck did you scare me half to death?"  
  
"Because I wanted to make sure of a few things first."  
  
"Right. And you had to do it at my sanity's expense?"  
  
Dante laughed softly. "Yeah. I mean, after all-"  
  
"Do not even try that one on me. From the moment you opened that goddamn door I dropped my instructions. Okay? I could never have done it, even then. Wait..." Some stray thought had just passed into my mind. "You gave me that note so I'd stay, right?"  
  
"Yeah. Your point?" He looked completely bored.  
  
"Well, I told you that, if I stayed, Dartan would find you and kill you. Clearly, you understood that but why did you take that chance?"  
  
Dante smiled broadly and moved so he was lying down next to me on his side. "Because I knew Dartan, from a long time ago. He was one of my fathers companions. And, actually, after mom died, Dartan took care of me and Vergil."  
  
"So, you two are like... friends? Oh, aren't you just full of surprises?" I swear, I almost fainted.  
  
"Absolutely. Which is why you got that note and that's also why we just might beat the Underworld."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Since I knew Dartan when I was a kid, he's been getting me all of the information that the Hunters need. So, by the way, they're comin' this weekend. That's when we're goin' in."  
  
"Underworld?"  
  
"Yep. And I need you to do me a favor."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Before they come you need to go back down there and cause a distraction. And you need to do it soon." Honestly, I was afraid of what would happen if I went. My father surely wouldn't welcome me after everything that I'd done against him. And there was one more thing that was nagging at the back of my mind... 


	11. An Incomplete Puzzle

"Dartan!" I called, nearly running down the stairs.  
  
"Yes?" He was still being polite to me even after everything I'd done and said.  
  
"The other night... you purposely left that portal open so I could come back, didn't you?"  
  
"Why, yes, I did."  
  
"And, before that, you knew that Gwen hadn't killed my previous instructor. So you let me get off easily, actually, without any harm. How come?" I sat down next to him on the couch.  
  
"Well, the reason I left the portal open was, truthfully, because Dante had asked me to."  
  
"Why would he have done that?"  
  
"Because he knew that you couldn't get out of there any other way. He wanted to make sure you'd be able to get free."  
  
It really hit me hard; I was so thankful I didn't go through with things after all Dante had done for me. "But what about... my father? He's not gonna be happy."  
  
"Then you'll have to lie. And you weren't raised to be deceitful for no reason. You'll just have to make him believe you."  
  
"Yeah, cause you know him like I do." I stood up and left for the stairs.  
  
"Good luck, Zoe, and goodnight." As I turned around, looking at him, he laid down on the couch and pulled a blanket over his shoulders, closing his eyes. Call me crazy but, at that moment, he did look kind of cute. In a weird... demon way.  
  
I headed up the stairs and turned into Dante's room, seeing him lying on the bed. He'd pulled the blankets up to his waist and was staring up at the ceiling with his arms above his head. I stood there in the doorway, watching his chest rise and fall slowly, until he lowered his head and looked over.  
  
"Dante... I..." I couldn't speak at all especially since he was just watching me. "I'm sorry."  
  
He curiously sat up. "What for?"  
  
"This is gonna sound cliche but it's true; I'm sorry for everything I've done."  
  
"What the hell? Dammit Zoe, come here." I was put back by his dagger- like words but I went over anyway. "You really need to rest. Because there's nothing you need to apologize for."  
  
I kept standing there, next to the mattress, until he sighed and reached out, pulling me down. He started laughing as I lightly slapped his arm, having fallen completely on top of him. Sighing, I scrambled off and slipped under the covers next to his warm form. Feeling a bit of a shiver trailing down my spine (and assuming it was the cold), I nestled up as close to Dante as I could get, letting him wrap his muscular arm around my shoulders.  
  
"How soon?" I didn't even have to go into detail for him to know.  
  
"As soon as you can. He has to think that you're still on his side. And we, Dartan and I, have a 'plan' to get down there without the two of you being found out."  
  
I glanced up at him. "What might that plan be?"  
  
"Well, you were supposed to trap me, right?" He asked with a bit of a chuckle.  
  
"Yeah...?"  
  
"You're gonna."  
  
"What? Okay, why would I do that?"  
  
"Because that's what's gonna get me to the Underworld. We're gonna make it look like I'm a prisoner and you, when we get to whoever is your father's advisor, need to request that we have a private confrontation. That way it can be the three of us against the one of him." He looked almost as if he was upset, but I couldn't think of anything that would do that to him so I just let it go. And I probably shouldn't have...  
  
"But what about the Hunters?"  
  
"While we're with your father, they'll be fighting the demons."  
  
"I hope it'll work." I said softly as I laid my head on his downy chest.  
  
"Yeah, so do I... almost." That caught me. I sprang up and stared at him, so confused that I couldn't put two thoughts together.  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"Just let it go. You'll find out."  
  
"There's a part of this plan that you're failing to mention, isn't there?"  
  
Dante didn't answer. He just closed his eyes, sighed for a second, and opened them back up, looking directly at me. "You will find out." I didn't bother asking because I knew that someone was going to lose. And I knew who, exactly, it was going to be. 


	12. Strange and Ironic

Maybe that was it. Maybe I was just too eager. Maybe... if I didn't go looking for that job none of this confusion would've existed. If I hadn't gone to my instructor a few days ago (but it felt like weeks) I'd have never seen Earth and fallen in love with it. I'd have never seen Dante and fallen in love with him. That, unfortunately, would have made things easier and less complicated. And, now, I was too distracted to hear what he was trying to tell me. Dante was silently calling out, warning me, but I was deaf to the silence. I could neither see nor hear him. And that's why I went along with his so-called plan. More like a suicide attempt, if you ask me.  
  
He was forfeiting his chance of winning so I could. Now, I had no idea why but he was. But the thing was, I didn't want to win and he knew that but he ignored it. And I was ready to give up everything to make him change his mind but, despite the changes he underwent, he was still a stubborn bastard. I cried for him because of that.  
  
That weekend was when the other eight Hunters arrived. Most came late at night so Dante waited until Sunday to tell of his plan. And, the words with which he spoke, were confident, as if he knew his plan would succeed. Which was something that worried me. I sat there, listening to him for nearly an hour. And every time I heard his voice I knew something was wrong. He was still neglecting to give us the final piece of the puzzle. That one piece... the one that would make the picture complete. And, I feared, this piece of the puzzle was the most important or was at least a key part. He was making a mistake.  
  
Dante had decided that the three of us (him, Dartan, and I) would go first and then, approximately one hour after we walked through the portal, the Hunters would come and it would be a massacre.  
  
Then we moved to phase two. Dartan opened a portal, exactly the same as the ones I was so used to, and we went to the Underworld. We appeared in the corridor that contained my door, putting us closer to my father. Quickly, we slipped into my room. As my instructor closed the door, Dante lifted up his black shirt, checking to make sure that Ebony and Ivory were still there and hidden in the top of his jeans. He nodded and I handed him a short leather jacket which he put on instantly, covering the arms.  
  
He obviously knew how much I didn't want him to do this. "Zoe, baby, I'm sorry... but I have to do this." I blinked back a few tears.  
  
"I know, which is why it hurts." He looked down, clearly distraught, but knew that he was right. So, sticking to business, he turned around and held his hands out behind his back for me. I reluctantly bound them, letting him turn back around again. I looked over to Dartan who gave me the most fake smile I'd ever seen.  
  
Dante leaned back down and whispered in my ear. "I'm sorry. I really am." He repeated before he kissed me softly but quickly, for the final time. Bringing complete shock and fear into me, I noticed that he looked... like he was going to cry. And that confirmed my uncertainty. He really was going to go through with everything.  
  
We waited in there for about a half an hour, until it was the precise moment Dante had chosen.  
  
I opened the door, looking out to make sure no one was around. When everyone was gone and the hall was empty, Dartan, Dante, and I left to go see my father. As I walked before them down the hall, I watched the floor, trying to get my mind off the present situation. It was creepy because it wasn't carpet, or linoleum, or even wood; it was grating. And, what really made it disgusting, was that it was wet and stained with a red liquid. It was darker than I remembered, down below the grating, which made me wonder about what was there. The lights were dimmer than usual, making it seem like a death-march. I was full of pure, undiluted fear.  
  
We passed through a door at the end of the hall, leading us into another hall. But this one was different. To the left was a "stadium," where Gwen had been killed. Across from us was another hall, and on our left and right were two more. They were all connected, leaving a walkway that stretched around the entire, massive room. As we walked down this one, passing several doors on our right, we came to yet another door. One more of those things and I would've been sick.  
  
I opened that damn door and passed through, hearing Dartan shut it softly. That's when I felt it. My father was near. Oh-so near. The room was dark, lit by only a few carefully placed candles on an altar at the front of the room. Tapestries were hung, one on each of the walls. There was a mortar and pestle, a few "demonic" herbs, and an ancient book. Standing in front of said altar was one of my father's advisors. So Dante brought in the act.  
  
"Goddammit, you fucking bastard! Let me go!" He started struggling violently. I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to look around. The robed demon in front us quickly faced us, hearing a loud crunch as Dartan's hand collided with Dante's cheek. I, too, turned to face them and saw that Dante was on his knees, a drop of blood escaping through the side of his mouth. He looked pissed but Dartan and I knew it wasn't real. The advisor, on the other hand, didn't. His jaw dropped instantly at seeing the Hunter.  
  
He glanced up at me. "I will get him right away." He ran off, practically skipping and giggling with joy. When he'd left, Dante stood up and watched the door he left through.  
  
"Dick." He said, shaking his head.  
  
We waited for a minute until the demon came back. He quickly arrived with a large smile on his face. "Right this way." He gestured towards the door he'd just come in through, so we went. Fifteen minutes until the Hunters would arrive.  
  
Through the threshold was a purely white room. There were a few pillars leading down the sides of the center, as if they were making a path to my father. We walked forward on a floor that was far too reflective. In fact, it was so shiny, that I couldn't even look down at it for fear of losing my sight to the blinding lights.  
  
Going further, we continued our walk, between the towering pillars, until the only thing in front of us was a large throne. It, too, was as white as an angel's wings.  
  
My father opened his eyes and looked down at us, aiming his gaze directly at Dante.  
  
"Well, Son of Sparda, we meet again." He spoke in a loud, clear voice.  
  
Dante saw him and turned to look at me, completely oblivious to the fact that this was the time we needed our cover the most. He whispered to me in a tone that was angry, upset, and confused, all at the same time. "Your father... is Mundus?" 


	13. Close Your Eyes And Say Goodbye

I almost failed in my efforts to ignore him but, thankfully, my father spoke again before he could assume anything. "It's been far too long."  
  
"Yeah." Dante replied angrily. I thought that anger was directed at me. "I wish I could say the same thing."  
  
Mundus smiled, then aimed his next words towards me. "So, this was the reason you went up there for awhile?"  
  
Frightened, I could only nod in answer. "Well, no matter the reason, I'm very proud of you, Zoe. None of us thought you could do this but you have proved us wrong once again." I had to actually fight off the urge to laugh. He had no idea about what he was speaking of.  
  
"I'm just happy I had this chance. I wouldn't trade any of it for all of the power you could offer me." I saw Dante bow his head, hiding a smile.  
  
My father looked puzzled but he pushed aside any thoughts of doubt he had, quickly. "I thought you said it would end the same way?"  
  
Dante raised his head. "Well, yeah, I did. Because it will."  
  
"You are here with two fully capable demons and the Lord of the Underworld and you still think you can win?"  
  
"Correction. I am here with just the Lord of the Underworld. These two..." Dante gestured back towards Dartan and I. "Don't count. Dartan left you about two thousand, twenty-nine years ago. And, Zoe, she left you a couple days ago."  
  
My father looked over at me with a gaze that would've killed an army of Hunters. "Surely he jests? My own daughter would never turn on me."  
  
"Hey! Blame it on Dante and my first instructor. It's their faults." Dante just shrugged as Mundus hit him with a cold glare.  
  
"Zoe, why would you do such a thing?" My father was truly confused, for once.  
  
"Because he gave me something you never were able to."  
  
"He could offer you nothing more than what I could."  
  
I took a defensive step forward. "He could offer me love. That's all I need to forget you."  
  
Extremely pissed off, Mundus threw spears of light towards me but I quickly ducked, knowing it wasn't my time yet.  
  
In a speedy look down at my watch, I realized it was time. And so did Dartan. He opened a portal, to my father's dislike, and Alastor came flying through. It cut Dante's bonds, landing in his right palm.  
  
"It's time to end this." Before anyone in that room could do anything, a loud screech came from the the room next to ours. The door crashed open and through it came a demon. Pierced through the heart with a dagger.  
  
"What is truly going on?" My father rose from his throne, angrier than I'd ever seen him and with good reason.  
  
"Dartan." Dante said to the demon, ignoring my father. "Get Zoe out of here. She has to make it out of this."  
  
At that moment I had no idea what he was talking about, until my instructor pushed me through the door. They were going to do it on their own. But no matter how much I protested and fought his efforts, Dartan only pushed me closer. Before he could close off the enterance to my father's room, I saw an entire group of Sirgands pour out through hidden rooms. Dante stood still, in the middle of the room, poised for a fight. He could not fight them all at once, that I knew. But Dante was always ready and willing to surprise.  
  
Dartan slammed the door shut in front of me, leaving me in a not-so- empty room. I turned around and saw that there were five Hunters battling an entire army of demons. I had never known that the Underworld housed so many of the foul creatures. And, shocking me even more, they had all arrived directly after the other eight had. I had to admit it, they were really on top of things.  
  
In a desperate attempt to get back to my father's room, I backtracked all the way to the stadium. I started to lean over the rail but it had just occurred to me that a weapon might have been useful. So I sprinted to my room, dodging blows and pushing my way through the crowd of dead and living demons. I was becoming so pissed off because I couldn't find a weapon and I knew Dante and Dartan wouldn't last much longer in there with the Sirgands and my father. Tossing that idea away, I raced back to the stadium, picking up two daggers, out of a demon, on my way. I thoughtlessly jumped over the railing, landing on the ground floor painfully. But I got up instantly and looked around the room for the switch.  
  
The reason my father could get from his room to his stadium so quickly was because they were connected by a short, stone hall. Torches were lined on the walls and, thankfully, one stood out. As I ran over to it, the sounds of battle became less. I looked up and saw that thousands of demons lie dead or dying all around me. Three of the Hunters I could see were simply and confidently walking over to their next victim which they killed as mercilessly as all of the others. The room that used to be completely white was almost completely red. Nearing the torch, I pulled it down, hearing a section of the wall moving.  
  
I ran through the newly opened hall, cursing myself for taking up nearly ten minutes. The hall leaded out onto a balcony, if you will, that created a frame around the room, connecting all four of the sides. Placing my hands on the rail and looking down, I saw something that I thought was never possible. The Sirgands that had attacked Dante and Dartan were lying completely lifeless around the Hunter. I counted them all. In total, there were five and I thought that one was supposed to be enough to kill a Hunter. My eyes searched the entire room but Dartan was not to be found. I hadn't a clue as to what happened to him but I saw Mundus. He was on the ground beneath me, without breath. I was ecstatic because Dante had killed him, finally, but the moment I saw my love I knew it was no time for happiness.  
  
He was on his knees, about thirty feet in front of my father's lifeless body, panting. I leaped over that rail, as well, and jogged to his side. Dante looked up at me, loosely, with eyes of denial. Utterly confusd, I placed my hand on his chest, feeling a warm liquid cover it quickly. Suddenly, I knew that I wasn't sleeping or dreaming a horrible dream.  
  
Losing too much too quickly, he fell onto his back. Dante winced as he hit the floor, feeling complete pain. After a moment of trying to catch some breath after that, he spoke to me, quietly and slowly, as if it was the most difficult thing he could ever do.  
  
"Zoe... when she comes... go with her. She knows what to do." I didn't know who he could've been talking about but I ignored that at the moment, putting my complete attention on him. Dante swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut under the pain. I didn't know who it was hurting worse: me or him. "And, if you find an orb, use it. There's so much... I still want to... show you."  
  
I almost broke down completely. I knew it was going to happen but... not like that. It couldn't happen like that. "Dante, don't leave me. Not here, not now."  
  
"I won't. I promise." Getting my mind off of the thoughts I couldn't stop thinking, he weakly reached up and caressed my cheek, seeing the tears forming behind my eyes. "Devils never cry... remember?" His arm dropped, landing over his chest, and that was when I knew he left.  
  
I was completely confused. But, knowing that I wanted to touch him one more time, I leaned over him, softly kissing his forehead. And, as I looked back down at him, I realized that I had dropped one tear. It fell on him in such a way that it appeared as though he had been the one who cried, not me.  
  
I didn't even have another moment there before two Sirgands came out, each grabbing my arms and pulling me away from the one who'd saved my life. 


	14. Something To Look Forward To

I can't help but feel that it was all my fault. It seems like the reason my world came crashing down was because I had to redeem myself and I didn't even manage to do that. I had been playing a game up until the moment I met that man. And, when I did, I gave up. Just like that. Still, I cannot understand why it all happened. I'd never lost control like that before. Never had I been willing to give up my world for anyone but I was ready to do that at any moment he asked me. But, instead, he gave up his world to save mine. He was a hero, yes. My hero.  
  
Dante had said that he had known I was going to do this "trap" thing before I went to Earth but, if that was true, then why had he not just killed me in the beginning? I don't know why he let me live, even after I confessed. What was it that made him do that? Well, whatever it was, I blame myself for his end and the end of Earth. The other Hunters survived, all of them, but, without Dante, they're not half of what they used to be. Now that world is going to end... because I fell in love.  
  
After Dante's final battle, the Sirgands had taken me to the prisoner cells and locked up. I had been there for two days before I was taken to the "stadium." My punishment was announced to a roaring crowd of onlookers. (The Hunters had fled after more of the "Summoned Ones" arrived, leaving a huge lot of demons alive.) I was to be killed, of course. I expected nothing else for my treason and betrayal. But, to the surprise of all the others, I didn't mind. I was only too willing to die for what I'd done. So, I was there in my iron cage they called a cell, waiting for my end. And all I could think about, even when they came to take me to the stadium, was that I might be able to gaze into those arctic blue eyes one more time. 


End file.
